Something caught our attention last week about local students who earned honors as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
Two of the three semifinalists from our area are deeply involved in the music programs at their schools.
That led us to look back at previous local semifinalists — who rank among the cream of U.S. high school seniors.
The two-thirds ratio held up. Eight of 12 semifinalists in recent years participated in school band and choir programs.
One semifinalist told our reporter he draws on “the rigor instilled through marching band” when approaching his other classes.
Another semifinalist told us, “In high school, I got involved in as much band as I could.“
Despite their passion for music, only one of those semifinalists planned to study music in college. Several of them aspired toward careers in medicine or science, but they saw the value of studying music in high school.
There is nothing scientific about our observations, but music’s impact on academic success has been studied by serious researchers over and over.
The debate comes down to a chicken-or-egg question: Does music education help students perform better, or is it simply that kids who already are smarter take music classes?
One of the newest studies, released in January, reported its findings this way: “University of Kansas researchers have confirmed what decades of anecdotal evidence and national research suggested: Increased music participation has important direct and indirect effects on positive outcomes in student achievement and engagement.”
The Kansas researchers looked at 6,000 students in grades 5-12 in the Nashville, Tennessee, area over a four-year period.
“Analysis showed that students engaged in music programs outperformed their peers on every indicator: grade-point average, graduation rate, ACT scores, attendance and discipline referrals,” the researchers said. “Overall, the study demonstrated that the more a student participates in music, the more positive these benefits become.”
“One of the key findings that shouldn’t get lost is how important music is for creating a sense of belonging and purpose for the students who participate,” said Becky Eason, co-author of the study. “They identify themselves as musicians, as being in the band or chorus, and they’re motivated to come to school so that they can participate in music. The students also believe that music participation teaches them skills like discipline and concentration that they can use to their benefit throughout the school days.”
The conclusions run against recent notions that music is a just frill, which can be scrapped to focus on more math and science. Whatever the explanation, students who excel in math and science also choose to take music classes.
Local school districts that already have strong music programs should embrace and nurture them. Schools without strong music programs should consider building them up. Just ask the best of the best among our local students.